Prompt 34 – Set in a land locked country

To choose this book, I had to start with some research into which countries were landlocked. There are 44. I chose Austria and picked Murder in Vienna by Martha Bond.

What it’s about?

A Viennese victim and a puzzle at the palace!

Lottie Sprigg and her employer, Mrs Moore, are guests at Vienna’s opulent Schönbrunn Palace. But their visit goes awry when the corpse of a renowned psychoanalyst is found in the grounds. There’s a handful of suspects and – tragically for Mrs Moore – one of them is her beloved Prince Manfred.

Mrs Moore is devastated that her beau has been caught up in the crime. And she soon discovers he’s been keeping other secrets from her, too.

Lottie is tasked with proving Prince Manfred’s innocence. But with overwhelming evidence against him, has she any chance of success? As she scours Vienna for clues, Lottie wonders if the jolly Bavarian prince has been hiding a darker side all along…

What I think:

This is the fifth book in the Lottie Sprigg mystery series.

Mrs Moore has followed Europe’s most eligible bachelor, Prince Manfred, to Austria.

One of their fellow guests is found dead during a piano concert and the investigation begins.

This is frothy and fun. There’s lots of speculation about potential motives and the plot is slight.

It’s a quick read and the final part of an enjoyable series. Lottie is heading back to England and a new series of country house mysteries to solve.